The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
My Geisha built its identity on fragrances that tell stories rather than just smell expensive. Cannabis arrives in 2021 as part of the Perfumes Notes Cannabis collection, a lineup built around provocative raw materials. The name isn't metaphorical. It's an acknowledgment that cannabis has a recognizable, almost controversial aromatic signature that most houses either hide or exploit. My Geisha did neither. They built a fragrance around it, then layered it with tobacco, coffee, and oud to make something that earns its name without relying on it.
What makes this composition interesting isn't the green cannabis note itself, it's how it functions as a bridge. The green opens the fragrance and keeps it grounded through the heart, preventing the tobacco and coffee from becoming too heavy or cloying. It's a counterweight, not a statement. The real architecture happens in the base: incense and oud together create a smoky resinous depth that feels more sophisticated than the typical cannabis fragrance. The brand's decision to pair woody notes with tobacco in the heart, rather than stacking green materials, shows restraint. This isn't trying to smell like the plant, it's trying to smell like what happens after you've moved past it.
The evolution
The green note arrives first and announces itself loudly, that initial burst of green takes about 5 minutes to settle before the heart begins to take shape. As it moves into the heart phase, tobacco and coffee come forward together, creating a warm, slightly bitter core that feels like standing near a fire on a cool evening. The woody notes support this transition, adding structure so it doesn't become too heavy. The drydown is where this fragrance earns its reputation. Incense and oud begin to emerge around the 2-3 hour mark, replacing the tobacco and coffee with something darker, more resinous. This phase can last 6-8 hours on most skin types. The final hours smell like embers, smoky, warm, barely sweet. On clothing, it can linger for days.
Cultural impact
Cannabis occupies a specific niche, green fragrances for people who want something bolder than typical fresh scents. The tobacco-coffee heart places it squarely in warm, aromatic territory, while the oud-incense base gives it staying power that most green fragrances lack. It's not competing for the same customer as citrus-heavy designers, it's pulling from the audience that wants fragrance to announce itself. The 2021 launch positioned it within a broader cultural moment where cannabis-adjacent products were gaining mainstream acceptance, though My Geisha's execution is more sophisticated than novelty-driven. The strong performance ratings suggest it found its audience quickly.
